Sweet 16: Breaking down the South Region

by
Kim Klement / Reuters

The first weekend of the NCAA Tournament is behind us and 16 lucky teams have carved themselves a path through to the regional semifinals.

Here's a look at the teams that will decide the South Region.

1 Florida Gators

Head coach: Billy Donovan (18th year)
Regular season record: 29-2
Conference tournament result: Won SEC title with win over Kentucky
NCAA Tournament victories: 16 Albany, 9 Pittsburgh

Preview in 140 characters
28 consecutive wins and counting, but 32 is the magic number for a team favored to win their third title in nine years.

Player to watch
Scottie Wilbekin, G
The kid has ice in his veins when the game is on the line. He doesn't get enough credit for the success the team has had this year.

Path to the Final Four
UCLA has looked tough. After that, a double-digit seed awaits, though Stanford has proven they're woefully underseeded, and Dayton won't be an enviable draw if they get to the Elite Eight. The region is theirs to lose.

Betting odds
South Region: -185
Championship: +350

4 UCLA Bruins

Head coach: Steve Alford (first year)
Regular season record: 23-8
Conference tournament result: Won Pac-12 title with win over Arizona
NCAA Tournament victories: 13 Tulsa, 12 Stephen F. Austin

Preview in 140 characters
Tournament time is Bruins time. Including the Pac-12 tourney, UCLA is 5-0, with their average margin of victory coming in at 16.4 points.

Player to watch
Kyle Anderson, G-F
His averages speak for themselves: 14.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, 6.5 assists.

Path to the Final Four
Florida's the tough out. If they pass that test, a double-digit seed would await.

Betting odds
South Region: +300
Championship: +1800

10 Stanford Cardinal

Head coach: Johnny Dawkins (fifth year)
Regular season record: 19-11
Conference tournament result: Lost to UCLA in Pac-12 semifinal
NCAA Tournament victories: 7 New Mexico, 2 Kansas

Preview in 140 characters
Underestimated at every turn thus far, Stanford goes from underdog to favorite in the Sweet 16, but back to giant-killer after that.

Player to watch
Chasson Randle, G
The big boys up front draw all the press, but Randle's been the one to provide the Cardinal with the bulk of their offense.

Path to the Final Four
The team has to be happy to draw 11th-seeded Dayton, but they'll be thrown into the fire after that with either Florida or UCLA up next.

Betting odds
South Region: +450
Championship: +5000

11 Dayton Flyers

Head coach: Archie Miller (third year)
Regular season record: 22-9
Conference tournament result: Lost to Saint Joseph's in A-10 quarterfinal
NCAA Tournament victories: 6 Ohio State, 3 Syracuse

Preview in 140 characters
The team that busted your bracket dances on. A Miller-Miller title game seems reason enough to root for the Flyers.

Player to watch
Vee Sanford, G
Dayton gets its scoring from a lot of different sources, and they'll need them all to chip in if they're going to keep dancing. Sanford had the game-winning layup against Ohio State, and made strong contributions off the bench in the win over Syracuse.

Path to the Final Four
Getting another double-digit seed in the Sweet 16 is ... sweet. After that, the waters get murky again.

Betting odds
South Region: +900
Championship: +10000

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